title: Quality of life in patients with Graves' ophthalmopathy is markedly decreased: measurement by the medical outcomes study instrument.
abstract: To assess the impact of Graves' ophthalmopathy (GO) on quality of life using a general questionnaire, we performed a descriptive study on consecutive ophthalmopathy patients. We included 70 consecutive, euthyroid patients (age >18 years, 50 females, 20 males, mean +/- SD age 53 +/- 13 years) with varying degrees of severity of GO. General quality of life was assessed with the brief survey (24 questions) from the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS-24), and three subscales of the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP). In comparison with a large published reference group, low scores on the MOS-24 were found. Mean +/- SD scores (difference from reference group) were: physical functioning 58 +/- 31 (-28), role functioning 72 +/- 40 (-15), social functioning 78 +/- 25 (-14), mental health 67 +/- 18 (-10), health perceptions 46 +/- 22 (-26), and bodily pain 68 +/- 28 (-6). MOS-24 and SIP scores did not correlate with the duration, severity, or activity of the ophthalmopathy. In conclusion, we have shown that mild to moderately severe GO has a large influence on the quality of life of these patients. The negative impact on well-being seems not to be related to the usual clinical assessment. These results underscore the need for quality-of-life measurements in clinical trials.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Gerding
authors.forename: C B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Terwee
authors.forename: F W
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Dekker
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Koornneef
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Prummel
authors.forename: W M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Wiersinga
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006111:Graves Disease / Q000523:psychology*; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires